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Online now: 2 members: Dj Thaniel, TABLE SETTER 11; 127 anonymousDiscussion: 2 FLEX or NOT 2 FLEX
| Posted | Discussion |
| Nov. 30, 2015 ? 121 posts | 2 FLEX or NOT 2 FLEX Help! I have read and heard that having a Stiff Bat handle is what is desired in a bat. On the other hand... I have read and heard a bat with lots of Flex in the handle is the way to go! In fact some people will step on the bat handle to give it more flex. So which is it? Thanks for any input you may give! |
| Nov. 30, 2015 wdodge22 Men's 55 152 posts | Here is my thought process, keeping in mind I coached High School golf for 10 years and my kid played in college and worked at Roger Dunn for 4 years. I look at it this way. Do I have the swing speed to swing stiff shafts in a golf club, no. Therefore I swing regular shafts. I have had more success using a 2 piece or endloaded bat than I have had swinging a heavier balanced bat. Hope that helps. Bill |
| Nov. 30, 2015 crusher Men's 75 524 posts | In Golf, if I try to swing a Senior Shaft (Flex) the club face if open and behind my hands causing a slice. BAD. I am not convinced in softball flex actually helps. You need swing speed to actually cause FLEX. If you have power/speed to cause flex in a softball bat I would think the bat would be pointed back some and not strike the ball as good. I do not like the feel of a flex bat. Oh, my measured golf club head speed is 109 mph. In fishing flex is good.good.good. |
| Dec. 1, 2015 0 70 posts | Lots of bat handle flex helps giving the bat more whipping action |
| Dec. 2, 2015 Full Monty 88 posts | It seems that the bat handle flex would give the bat a type of "trampoline effect" similar to that of when the ball hits the barrel. Whereas a stiff handle won't do that. |
| Dec. 2, 2015 Hit the gap Men's 70 154 posts | One of the best bats I ever had was the Easton Flex SCN3. Lots of handle flex. |
| Dec. 2, 2015 PJ3P Men's 50 94 posts | Handle flex absorbs energy that would instead be flexing the barrel. Stiff handle for power. Flex handle may feel better [or not :-)] but it robs power. The contact of bat and ball happens way to fast for handle flex to react in a positive way. The bat is simply flexing back from the ball at contact and rebounding long after the ball has left the bat.The barrel on the other hand does react and trampoline the ball quick enough to matter. So handle flex has more to do with feel than overall performance. Disclaimer; My opinions are my own and I only pretend to know what I am typing about on the Internet. PJ3P |
| Dec. 2, 2015 Home Plate 35 posts | 10 or 12 years ago I saw a high speed picture of Mark McGwire hitting a baseball... Talk about bat handle flex... Before I saw that pic, I would NEVER have thought a wood baseball bat could bow that much and not break. That pic definitely convinced me about bat flex! By the way, is a wood baseball bat considered to have a "stiff handle"? |
| Dec. 2, 2015 PJ3P Men's 50 94 posts | Home Plate that was camera lens distortion. |
| Dec. 15, 2015 Wayne 37 Men's 65 773 posts | If you want bat flex, you should be able to snap your wrists through the swing. Harder to do the older you get, though. |
| Dec. 15, 2015 DOERBAUM Men's 55 86 posts | PJ3P IS CORRECT IN HIS ASSUMPTIONS. AS HARD AS HE HITS THE BALL, HE IS NOT "FLEXING THE HANDLE" TO ANY APPRECIABLE DEGREE. THE BARREL IS THE KEY. THE ONLY THING I HAVE FOUND THAT THE "FLEX BATS" DO (THE OLD "CONNECTION", THE COMBATS WITH THE HARD RUBBER COUPLING, ETC) IS ROB POWER THAT SHOULD BE TRANSFERED AT THE BARREL. I TOOK B.P. TODAY AFTER OUR LOCAL LEAGUE HERE IN WINTER HAVEN AND VIDEOED MYSELF TO WORK OUT A COUPLE OF ISSUES I WAS HAVING WITH MY FOOTWORK. I ACTUALLY GOT LUCKY ENOUGH TO CATCH ONE PARTICULARLY GOOD SHOT RIGHT AS IT WAS FULLY COMPRESSING THE BARREL OF THE BAT. I WAS ASTOUNDED AT THE DEGREE OF FLEX THESE NEW BATS HAVE. WITH THE CONTRAST OF THE NEW BLACK MIKEN AND THE BRIGHT YELLOW OF THE BALL IT WAS EASY TO SEE. ANYTHING THAT WOULD TAKE AWAY FROM THIS "ENGINEERED ADVANTAGE", TO MY MIND, WOULD BE A WASTE OF ENERGY !! |
| Dec. 17, 2015 0 70 posts | Ok HOW ABOUT A LITTLE INFO FROM ALL YOU BAT GUYS, BAT TESTERS AND YOU TUBE STARS. Which type of bat has the STIFFER HANDLE? 1) The ONE Piece bat? or 2) The TWO Piece bat? If the ONE Piece bat has the stiffer handle then explain the rising popularity of the TWO Piece bats? Thanks... |
| Dec. 18, 2015 Pull My Finger 81 posts | C'mon you bat geeks. Tell us if the handles of the 2 piece bats have more or less handle flex than the single piece bats. Inquiring minds want to know. |
| Dec. 18, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | It's not that easy of a question per say. A lot depends on the individual swinging the bat. Sure, given the length and thin-ness of a golf club shaft and the overwhelming head weight of a driver, anyone can flex a golf club with a swing. Heck, grab a modern golf club with on hand and wiggle it and you will flex the shaft. A bat is totally different in what it take to flex the handle, a large part of that being speed and wrist snap. A two piece bat can be made to be stiffer than some one piece bats. Therefore a faster swinger with great wrist snap could flex a stiff handle more than a batter with slower bat speed and less wrist snap could flex a less stiffer handle. It's all about knowing yourself as a batter as to what bat works best for you and your swing. |
| Dec. 18, 2015 Tri18 352 posts | OZ, You are on track with your statement. It's not a simple question to answer unless you ...simplify it. By and large a one piece bat is stiffer than a two piece bat but....even that can be variable due to different lay ups in the handle area itself. Another thing that players sometimes mistake barrel flex for handle flex. Again, depending on design, this can be a different feeling from bat to bat. AlanTanner Team 1 Sports |
